Written by Dante Uzel on 12 July 2024 14:50
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a partnership with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025. This follows the IOC Executive Board’s recent establishment of the Olympic Esports Games and will be proposed at the IOC Session preceding the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The partnership between the IOC and Saudi NOC will be for 12 years, ensuring regular editions of the Olympic Esports Games. According to the release, immediate efforts will focus on selecting a city and venue, determining event timing, choosing game titles, establishing player qualifications, and finalizing logistical details.
The release states that to accommodate the unique nature of the Olympic Esports Games, the IOC will create a dedicated structure separate from traditional Olympic Games organization and financing models. This approach aims to address the distinct requirements of esports within the Olympic movement.
More:IOC Esports Commission Revealed
IOC President Thomas Bach stated, “We are very fortunate to be able to work with the Saudi NOC on the Olympic Esports Games, because it has great – if not unique – expertise in the field of esports with all its stakeholders. The Olympic Esports Games will greatly benefit from this experience, “By partnering with the Saudi NOC we have also ensured that the Olympic values are respected, in particular, with regard to the game titles on the programme, the promotion of gender equality and engagement with the young audience, which is embracing esports.”
Once again Saudi Arabia is hosting a global esports event. The country hosted Global Esports Games in partnership with the Global Esports Federation in 2023. Currently, the country is hosting the Esports World Cup, and through this partnership, the country will host yet another global esports event.
Saudi Arabian minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the country “has become a global hub for esports."
Update:
In a unanimous decision at the 142nd IOC Session on July 23rd, the International Olympic Committee has sanctioned the establishment of the Olympic Esports Games. The inaugural edition of these games is scheduled to take place in 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as announced by the IOC following the vote.
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